Too Close
by gibbsgirlie08
Summary: Gibbs has made a decision, but what is it?


Too Close

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!**

_**AUTHORS NOTE: JUST A BRIEF ONE SHOT THAT CAME TO ME AS I WAS WATCHING THE EPISODE "SAFE HARBOR."**_

"WHAT THE HELL GIBBS?" Vance yelled into his empty office. He had came into work early and noticed that Team Gibbs was already out on a case, so Vance had headed to his office to start the normal mundane paperwork. He had saw the paper on his desk and at first brushed it off as something he would tackle later, but when he noticed the signature of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the bottom of the paper, he knew he had to read it. Picking up the phone he tried to call Gibbs, but he got no answer. Deciding he would have this out now, Vance stormed out of his office and down to desk area. Seeing Gibbs enter with this team in tow, Vance headed towards him, paper in hand and didn't stop til he was nose to nose with Gibbs. "Explain!"

Gibbs turned to Tony and said, " Call Abby and have her meet us in autopsy in 15 minutes, all of you." Gibbs then turned to Vance and nodded towards the elevator. Gibbs and Vance entered the elevator together and it was only a few seconds before you could hear the elevator stopping, signaling the start of whatever conversation was going on.

"Why?" Vance asked, the weight of that one word bearing heavy in his heart.

"It's time…..I'm too close." Gibbs said as he stared into Vance's eyes.

Looking deep into Gibb's eyes, Vance saw all he needed to see. There was no anger, no resentment, just love and concern and acceptance. "Well, OK , but…..I am not telling the team." Vance said as he flipped the switch and handed back the signed document.

Gibbs took a deep breath and said, "Nope, I'm telling the kids."

Vance just nodded as the doors opened up in front of autopsy and Gibbs stepped out to head into the crowded room. "Good Luck!" Vance yelled out as the doors closed.

Gibbs squared his shoulders and prepared for what was certain to be a storm. He didn't walk straight into autopsy, he took the back entrance and stood in the shadows and just listened.

Abby was the most verbal and emotional in her worries. "Oh NO! This is not good guys….not good." Abby was pacing and wringing her hands as she paced in front of Tim and Tony.

"I for once have to agree with Abby's worries." Ziva said. "This is highly unusual for Gibbs."

Tony sensing the fear in his team, or better yet siblings, tried to waylay the doom and gloom. "Ahhh! Come on guys, you never know, good ol' dad might be taking us all on a vacation trip! Beaches, tan and girls!" Tony knew in his gut that something was going on, but he would play the carefree big brother, just to take some of the concern out of the room.

Tim, who had over the past three years had come to know the true Tony, the one that was a deeply caring and loving brother, knew that he should play along. He walked over to Abby, and pulled on one of her pigtails. "Come on! I mean this is Gibbs, and he has not been shot at, or blown up lately so he probably just wants to do a "family meeting" to see how we have been doing since Mike passed."

Tony followed Tim's thinking, silently thanking Tim for helping out with a big grin. "Yeah, I mean, we have been more targeted lately than he has. The Port to Port killer, Abby….well just Abby and her boyfriends is enough to keep me up at night."

Abby, taking offense to their picking on her, reached over and punched Tony in the shoulder. "Shut up Tony, look at you and your track record. You have almost been killed how many times?"

Tony, not liking his screw up brought up, then pulled Abby's ponytail a little harder than normal, causing her to yelp and her eyes to well up with tears.

"ENOUGH!" Gibbs yelled from the back as he entered the room. "Tony, apologize to Abby"

Tony, feeling like a child caught fighting with his little sister, turned to Abby and said, "Sorry."

Gibbs, catching the smirk coming from Abby, quickly cleared his throat and looked at Abby. "Sorry, Tony." Abby reached up and gave Tony a hug.

"Great, now that I have everyone here, I have an announcement to make." Gibbs looked at each of them, as they were listening for the pin to drop. "You all know that when an agent gets too emotionally involved with a case or a suspect…or each other, one can tend to lose perspective. What is right in our jobs in upholding the law, does not always seem right in their eyes. When one sees someone they care for doing something dangerous, they can do something even more dangerous to themselves or others in attempt to help them. But they also can get too close and lose sight of what they loved about the job so much…..there becomes another job that they love even better."

Abby, catching on to what Gibbs was saying, stomped her foot down and started to cry aloud. "NO! NO! You are not leaving us again….I can't take losing you!" Abby turned to run out the door, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Abby turned to look into a set of steel blue eyes, coated with tears.

"Abby…I am not leaving….per se." Gibbs started but was interrupted.

"Per se….so you are leaving….us…me again." Ziva answered with tears now falling down her face. Gibbs walked Abby over to the autopsy table and nodded his head for her to jump up on the table. He turned to Ziva and nodded for her to do the same. Gibbs then stood in front of his two girls and put his hand on one of each of their knees. "Ziva…Abby." Gibbs turned to look at Tony and Tim and nodded for them to stand beside the girls. "Tony…Tim." Gibbs looked back at Abby and Ziva and starting talking. "Abby, when you found out that you were adopted, what did I tell you?"

Abby thought back and answered. " You said that family was not DNA….that it was people who love you and want to take care of you….that I was not alone…I have a family."

Gibbs looked up at Ziva and asked her, "Ziva, after we finished the case with Borin, what did I tell you?"

Ziva smiled as she remembered his words. "You said that what my mother did was what she was right to do….that you knew this because you have the same perspective towards us….parental perspective. I asked if you were lonely and you answered me…"

Gibbs interrupted to finish so the others could hear. "I said that I was never lonely with kids…and that is true. I may have lost Kelly, but I now have four more kids. And with the job of having kids, my perspective, my views become that of what a father would do….not what an agent would do. So as of tomorrow, I am retiring from NCIS." Gibbs paused as he heard the audible gasps. He watched each of them start to argue with him but he threw his hand up to stop it. "Wait! No I have been thinking of this for a while now. I am too close….I want to retire….I want to have family dinners in the backyard with my four adult children….I would eventually love to have grandchildren playing in my back yard. But to do this and keep my sanity I need to retire." Gibbs could see the tears falling silently over each of their faces. "So…no arguing, because now I can take the head slap a little farther south if I have to….got it!" He watched as the realization of what he said hit each of them and they smiled.. Abby jumped down first and put her arms around Gibbs. "So…we can call you dad?"

Gibbs just smiled, "Yep, not your Boss anymore….that title now goes to Anthony Dinozzo Jr." Gibbs watched the team all encircle him as he saw pride well up in Tony. Each one congratulating him on his promotion.

Abby piped up. "OK, party at Dad's house, Tony you bring …."

THE END!

HOPE IT WASNOT TOO BORING!


End file.
